Broken Heart
by Izzu
Summary: It never crossed her mind to think that someone has ever really broken her father's heart.


Izzu: Expanding this, because I love that 'six-million dollar man' exchange scene.

* * *

"Then... that should mean that you no longer have a broken heart?"  
 _ **  
"No more broken heart."**_

She could almost hear a snicker from that other end of the line. Daisy snorted to herself as well. Been a while since she'd ever exchanged any dad jokes with her own father, so to be making one herself... well, that was funny. And to have her father take amusement from her attempt at lighthearted banter, it felt good.

A broken heart. She worded it like that because it sounded apt. Her father's heart not functioning properly, implied that it was broken in a certain manner. Like a car that wasn't functioning well due to a broken engine. It never crossed her mind to think that someone has ever _really_ broken her father's heart.

xxx

It was by accident, that she found out about it. It was totally by _accident_ ; because now that she found out about it, she realized why both of her parents have decided to keep this matter a secret from her. It was for _her_ to not get hurt.

Yet, did it really matter now? Because, rather than her getting hurt... she couldn't help thinking how much her father has been hurt all these times. And she never knew. She thought it was just about the case that her father didn't manage to solve and the mistake he did and how that affected her father's career and brought him to Broadchurch.

She never thought that it would be because he was covering for her _mother_.

Daisy thought back to the time when she found out that her father had some heart problems, and how he ended up having to undergo a procedure to implant a pacemaker inside his chest that would save his life. She could have _lost_ her father back then. And she used to think that her father's workaholic attitude was the reason that got him sick.

To think her father's illness was not just caused by his obsession with his work. To think that her own _mother_ was the one that made her dear father ill, she couldn't accept it!

xxx

Alec let out a gasp as his phone suddenly buzzed. Excusing himself from the meeting, he got out to take a look at the message he just received. But the moment he saw the message he immediately fumbled on his phone to call on his daughter.

It barely took three rings for the call to be answered.  
 ** _  
"Dad..."_**

"Daisy darling, what did you mean you and your mom had a row—?" he started to say.

 _ **"Dad, please don't ask about it. Just pick me up at the train station?"**_

He blinked. "What? The train sta–Daisy-dear, did you just—Was your mother aware of you coming here? Daze—hello?"

The call just ended, as Alec stared at his phone. Flabbergasted. And then after taking a long steady breath, he got back into the conference room to inform the staff to postpone the meeting before heading out to the train station.

xxx

It was a long wait, but after about two or three trains passing through the station, he finally saw a familiar figure walking out. Dragging a small luggage bag beside her. He smiled despite himself as he walked up to greet his daughter.

As soon as he was near enough, Daisy immediately lunged towards him and hugged him tightly. All of the arguments, scoldings he has had inside his head earlier–how about school, did she tell Tess about coming here, what's wrong, what were they arguing about to make her ran off to him like this–all of that just went poof out of his head. He ended up just hugging his daughter back.

Just when he thought he was missing his daughter dreadfully just weeks earlier; when he came to visit them and still failed to convince Tess to get their family back together again. It felt so good to have his daughter with him again...

xxx

Ellie Miller walked out of the station to get some air as she saw DI Hardy's car being parked at the lot. And she let out a gasp as she saw Alec coming up with a rather sweet young girl behind him. As the pair reached the entrance, she decided to call out towards them.

"Hey there! Who've you got there?"

Alec Hardy just let out an exasperated sigh. "Miller, this is my daughter... Daisy. Daisy, this is DS Miller."

"Hello?" Ellie started to say before turning to look at Alec. "Is there some special occasion I didn't know about? I wasn't aware that you're bringing your daughter over,"

Alec gave her a look. "I wasn't aware of this too, but Miller... I think I might have to talk to you about something," he started to say before turning towards his daughter. "I'm going to call your mother after this and you better have some explanation as to—"

"I'm going to stay with you from now on."

Ellie snorted, as the look on Alec's face was something she never thought she could see. He seemed so shocked, as if he never considered that his daughter would want to live with him.

"I'm not going to let you get hurt anymore. No, I'm making sure that you'll _never_ be hurt again. We'll be together always."

She glanced up to see that Alec was left speechless by his daughter's outburst. She grinned. This was so cute.


End file.
